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FILE PHOTO Edward M. “Eddie” Kleha passed away on Thursday at 66. He was the chief of staff for state Rep. Neal P. Goodman, D-123, Mahanoy City, and former chairman of the Schuylkill County Democratic Committee.

The unexpected passing of Edward M. “Eddie” Kleha on Thursday shocked many people who knew him in the many roles he played in his life, most especially in his role as a friend.

Kleha, 66, was the chief of staff for state Rep. Neal P. Goodman, D-123, Mahanoy City, and a former chairman of the Schuylkill County Democratic Committee, a post he held for 13 years until stepping down in 2011.

Prior to becoming the party chairman, Kleha was tax receiver in Shenandoah.

According to colleagues and friends, which, in many cases, were one and the same, Kleha was a person who cared for others.

Kleha worked most closely with Goodman, having joined the staff in 2003 when he took office for his first term. Goodman knew Kleha before that, working with him as state Rep. Edward J. Lucyk’s chief of staff.

“He was at my house two Fridays ago. Eddie being Eddie, he came up after work to take the petitions around, drop this off, pick this up,” Goodman said. “My wife and me and Eddie were in the kitchen laughing, him telling stories. I’ve known Eddie all of my life. I don’t remember a time when there wasn’t an Eddie Kleha.”

Goodman said Kleha didn’t look well Monday and told him to go home and learned the next day that Kleha was rushed to the hospital. He received a phone call Thursday afternoon that Kleha had passed away.

During his remarks, Goodman’s sorrow could be heard in his voice for the loss of his friend. At times, his voice broke with emotion.

“I’m heartbroken at the loss of my good friend, Eddie Kleha,” Goodman said. “Eddie was a dedicated public servant who devoted his entire life to making our area a better place to live. Working closely with Eddie every day, I saw firsthand how he loved the people of Schuylkill County and how they loved him. In fact, I never met anyone who didn’t like Eddie. They say no one is irreplaceable, but they’re wrong because there will never be another Eddie Kleha. He’s the last of a generation and we’ll never see his likes again.”

Goodman said that when he was elected, he needed someone dependable to fill the position he has with Lucyk. Kleha filled the position exceptionally well, Goodman said, explaining that was a great help for him when in Harrisburg.

“When I’m in Harrisburg, I needed someone to be in the district and speak for me and to listen and to come back to me, and that was Eddie,” Goodman said.

Joseph Wayne, Girardville, also knew Kleha for many years as a friend. Wayne also served as a county Democratic Party chairman.

“When the man upstairs wants you, what can you do but answer the call?” Wayne said. “Eddie Kleha was a fine, fine fellow. He was a down-to-earth guy. He was his father’s son. His father was a gentleman and so was Eddie. I never knew him to get out of sorts. He might get mad at somebody, but I never heard him get into it argumentative-style or anything like that. He was a very reasonable guy.”

Wayne said Kleha was well-liked throughout the county.

“He’s going to be missed. He did a lot of hard work for E.J. and for Neal,” Wayne said. “He was very popular within the district and throughout the county. I always thought Eddie would aspire to some higher office.”

Kleha’s work as the county Democratic chairman was praised by Wayne.

“He did a noble job in a heavily favored Republican county,” he said. “It’s not the easiest thing to raise money and get candidates. Eddie always knew what to do. He’s going to be missed. He was a fine fellow and good friend. I’m sure he’s going to be hard to replace for Neal.”

Wayne knew Kleha through his father, the late Edward F. “Duds” Kleha, who was a very good friend.

“I knew his father because we used to meet over in McDonald’s Lunch (Girardville). Eddie’s father would be there and Bill Rogers and the mayor of Palo Alto, though I don’t remember his name,” Wayne said. “There were seven or eight of us and we called ourselves the ‘War Board.’ Republicans and Democrats, and we solved all the world’s problems in a good-natured manner. I got to meet Eddie years later because he was dating a girl from Girardville. I got to be good friends with Eddie when I was the local chairman in Girardville and dealt with Eddie on a regular basis. It’s going to be a big change here in the 123rd because he knew a lot of people and he worked at it.

“Our loss is heaven’s gain,” he said.

Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board Chairman Tim Holden saw Kleha as a friend. The former U.S. representative for the 17th District and former county sheriff was dealing with the loss.

“I’m in shock. I’m at a loss for words. It’s truly a shock,” Holden said. “I don’t know all the details, but he was at work on Monday and didn’t look well.”

Holden said, “I’ve known Eddie for probably 25 years. His father and my father were friends, so it may be even 30 years. He was not only a political ally, which he most certainly was, but he was a good personal friend. He was such a great guy and I never heard anyone say anything negative about him. He loved the people. He loved Schuylkill County. He was the Democratic chairman of the party. He was the goodwill ambassador of the party, not because it was his responsibility but because he loved people and loved helping people. That’s all he cared about. If someone was sick, he would make sure he was in touch, that he was thinking about them and his prayers were with them. He was an all-around great guy. It’s so sad.”

Holden added, “He was always able to bring people together, which isn’t always easy in politics, because of his personality. He always wanted to avoid confrontation and work things out. That’s the way he was in political life and that was his personality. That’s the way Eddie was.”

Schuylkill Chamber of Commerce President and Chief Executive Officer Robert S. Carl Jr. expressed his condolences on behalf of the chamber in a message to members:

“It is with great sadness and a very heavy heart that I inform you of the loss of one of our Schuylkill Chamber of Commerce board members, Edward Kleha.”

Kleha was a member of the chamber board of directors from July 1, 2013, and an important member of the chamber’s Transportation Committee and the Government Affairs Committee.

“Over many years, his leadership and dedication to the Schuylkill Chamber of Commerce was very important to our growth and development and our mission of providing value-added services and programs to all our members.

Carl said because of his responsibilities in Goodman’s office, he assisted the chamber in its advocacy efforts with “his great wisdom and with a special calm demeanor, in spite of the ever constant political turmoil in our state and our nation.” He credited the chamber is better in advocacy today because of Kleha.

“On a personal note, he was a man we all greatly admired,” Carl said. “He was a man of great spiritual faith and a man of the greatest integrity. He was kind and cared about others and always placed others’ interests ahead of his own. Words will never adequately express what he meant to so many. He was my personal friend and a great friend of the Schuylkill Chamber of Commerce.

Carl continued, “We sincerely mourn his loss. We are grateful for his service and dedication, and the time we had with him — serving our members, our county, our state and all those who he encountered. He has helped so many through unselfish love and caring for everyone. May God bless him, his family and all he worked for and with.”

Contact the writer: jusalis@republicanherald.com; 570-628-6023

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